Disabled empower one another
KwaThema - People living with disabilities at Kopano Disabled Movement are the change they want to see in their lives.
They meet daily to teach each other how to read and write, through the Kha Ri Gude programme, share skills and work in the garden.
Sthebiso Mdebele says they don’t want people to feel sorry for them.
“Our disabilities don’t define us; we are members of the community.
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“People shouldn’t feel sorry for us but accept us the way we were born and treat us equally,” he says.
“Some of the members have been through formal education systems and we share the skills with those who haven’t.
“We also attend skills training offered by government and other institutions to empower ourselves,” he says.
Sthembiso says they are calling on disabled people in the community to join the centre.
“This is a home for the disabled people in this community; they don’t have to feel alone.
“We are here to empower one another in different fields,” he says.
Tracia Mabuza says they also teach one another how to design accessories and beads.
“To generate income for the centre, we then sell these to the community.
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“We use the funds to pay for the general running of the centre and, at times, we end up not having funds left to buy the materials.
Tracia says they are calling on sponsors to donate gardening seeds and beads.
“At the moment, we are unable to produce much because we have run out of materials,” she says.
